State vocational rehabilitation services (VR)

The Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services awarded the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development $70.220 million on October 1, 2025, under the Rehabilitation Services Vocational Rehabilitation Grants to States program (CFDA 84.126) for the period October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Place of performance is Hamilton Township, New Jersey.

The recipient operates a comprehensive vocational rehabilitation program serving individuals with disabilities, including vocational assessment, planning, service development, and delivery consistent with each individual's strengths and goals. The program establishes a Unified or Combined State Plan approved under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, with appeal procedures governed by the Rehabilitation Act.

The recipient passes funding to multiple sub-recipients delivering specialized services. The New Jersey Statewide Independent Living Council carries out duties authorized under Section 705 of the Rehabilitation Act through advocacy, policymaking, and planning for the Statewide Network of Centers for Independent Living. Avidd Community Services of New Jersey Inc., Moceans Center for Independent Living Inc., Center for Family Services Inc., and Foundation Academy each deliver Student Transition Empowerment Program—Unlimited Possibilities (STEP-UP) services, providing structured employment readiness instruction to high school students with disabilities transitioning to post-secondary education, training, or competitive integrated employment. Moceans Center for Independent Living also administers Pre-Employment Transition Services paid internships for in-school youth aged fourteen to twenty-one, offering 150-hour work-based learning experiences at $18.00 per hour or comparable industry wage. Kessler Foundation, Inc., delivers vocational services to patients with spinal cord injury and brain injury during inpatient rehabilitation and for two years post-discharge, coordinating systematic employment services toward competitive integrated employment or education with employment as the goal.